What Do You Mean I'm Not Firelord
by ManofManyHats
Summary: Sozin's Comet passes the horizon, Azula's left in chains and the crown finds itself atop Zuko's rightful head. That's what happened, but not as simultaneously as you'd think. The rules of Agni Kai are quite convoluted, and the battle may be over but Zuko can't call himself victor just yet.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Before anything else, let's get this out of the way. There are seven sages behind Azula when she's getting crowned, but I wrote five here because I was thinking about the sages in "The Winter Solstice" episode. Oops. I didn't change it because it doesn't bear too much meaning on the plot, and having seven sages floating around the palace seems a bit much. Also, I constantly forgot about Sokka's broken leg.**

 **This is practically, meaningless, plotless rambling, but I think, _enjoyable_ rambling. It popped up bit by bit while I was writing another story, _Revenant,_ and I ended up finishing now. Sprouts from the idea that the day of Sozin's Comet and Zuko's coronation probably had a few days in-between.**

 **Enjoy. As this was mostly a writing exercise, criticism or tips on my writing would be valued.**

* * *

" _What do you mean I'm not Firelord!?"_ Zuko's voice is close to a painful screech but it also has that threatening, princely undertone which Katara usually found annoyingly effective.

It's intimidating enough that none of the sages seem obliged to answer. If it had worked, it would have saved them days of unbelievably frustrating work, but Zuko was also drowsy and leaning on her pretty heavily and his clothes were ragged and she guessed no matter how menacing he made his voice, it didn't cover up just how vulnerable he was at the moment.

One of them, likely the lead sage, cleared his throat, "Well, we just mean to point out that the Agni Kai did not have a clear winner."

Zuko's quick-fire, emotion backed reply, profoundly contrasted with the sages' anxious, lackluster performance.

" _What do you mean we don't have a winner!?"_

"I will give you, though, that Azula aiming for a bystander is open for debate. However, she did defeat you, and she was only beaten due to… interference."

Zuko's gaping, and looking back and forth like he was waiting for someone to throw up their hands and call this all a big joke. The lightning and lack of sleep probably wasn't doing his logical reasoning systems any good.

" _What do you mean I'm not the Firelord!?"_ Now he was just getting repetitive.

"We _mean,_ that you do not have a strong enough ground to be proclaimed Firelord."

"Listen here, you _filthy, son of a-!_ " Katara stops him there, before he says anything he's going to regret.

"Why don't we call it a truce for now? Look, Azula's not… capable, of taking care of the Fire Nation right now, you don't need to look to her for orders. And I think it's safe to say _we,"_ she gives a little nod at Zuko, who's still bleary-eyed and raging, "have the upper hand right now."

The sages give a little side glance at each other, but don't argue.

"Let us rest and we won't burn the palace to the ground. Then, we can discuss this _peacefully._ " Again, a glare at Zuko, who Katara suspects is starting to go cross-eyed from either anger or tiredness.

A few sages sigh, she sees at least one smile, and she takes it as a sign that not all of them hate their guts. "Very well. A ceasefire; we will not have you arrested as it is in the best interests of the Fire Nation that we settle this diplomatically."

"I'm glad we agree." Katara instantly calms. If nothing else, she doesn't have to fight a bunch of old men in pointy red hats today. She awkwardly shuffles between them, Zuko practically slung over her shoulder, hoping to dump him on a bed somewhere.

A sage clears his throat. "Uh, what about her?"

She turns around to the problem. She has to squint a bit, as her eyes had started to glaze out of focus, but she can still clearly see Azula straining rabidly at her bonds. Katara swallows warily.

"We'll take care of her. Later." She leads (drags), Zuko away. Quickly, because she does not want to have anything else to worry about.

As they stumble away, Zuko finally lets it loose. He spits out profanities like a grapeshot cannon, rapid and profuse, and Katara is unnecessarily reminded that Zuko has spent 3 years traveling the ocean, and also acquiring a sailor's notorious vocabulary.

He's dropped on the nearest couch and out like a light.

* * *

They find each other in the kitchen early the next morning, both of them counting on their mutual hunger to bring them together.

Katara, rested and fresh from the shower, rifles through the deserted kitchen cabinets. Luckily, the chefs hadn't taken the food when they were banished.

Zuko sheepishly limps to her side. He's stable at best, with a good night's sleep and a change of clothes, but the newly branded scar under his robes pulses roughly. He hovers around Katara, not sure how he could help but not wanting to sit and be useless.

Eventually she huffs at him and points at a chair. "Just sit down already."

"But I want to help."

"Just look at you. You look like you're going to fall over any minute."

"It's not that bad!"

"Do you really want to put all that hard work I put into healing you to waste? Besides; you're just getting in my way here."

Zuko sits down, slightly hurt but contrite, and also the slightest bit glad because the pain in his chest had started to spike once more. Leave it to Katara to make sure he doesn't hurt himself, but still write him off at the same time.

"I found some bandages last night. I'll patch you up after we eat something."

"Yeah, ok…" The memories of _yesterday_ had been reviving and Zuko was rightfully abashed by it. "And sorry about yesterday… I was really out of it wasn't I?"

Katara gives a small snort of laughter as she slides some diced vegetables into a pot. " _Out of it,_ isn't really a strong enough phrase. I don't think I, or any of the sages, knew you had such a sailor's mouth."

"It's not something I'm proud of…"

"I think Sokka and Toph would be impressed. But I don't think Aang would ever look at you the same way if he had heard you."

The teasing air fades almost instantly. The morning had been so calm, so commonplace and ordinary, that they'd chosen to forget the reality of the situation; they were enemy soldiers at war, in the heart of the enemy base with no idea whether they could count on their allies for back up, heck, they didn't even know if their allies were alive. And they were sitting around, having breakfast.

"What happened to them?"

Katara shakes her head almost imperceptivity. "I don't know. I saw a bright blue light yesterday, while you were asleep, but no word of them."

Zuko contemplates this. "So… what do you think that means?"

She sets down the knife she had been using, and turns the tap on, letting the water wash over her fingers. It's something familiar, and she's glad to have that in such a pressing scenario. "They're alive, Zuko. I know it's stubborn and naïve, but I have to believe that they've won, or else I don't know what I'd do."

He spares a glance at her, and Zuko wishes he could hold onto hope as enduringly as Katara could. But his mind couldn't help but wander into more dispiriting territory.

"Well, how about we make sure? I'm sure we can find a messenger hawk somewhere around here and we can send it out to find them. And maybe one to Ba Sing Se, too."

Katara looks back at him. "Why didn't I think of that?"

On a normal day, her expression might have made him laugh, but today was not, in any case, normal, no matter what it seemed like. He hefts himself to his feet. "Well then; let's do that."

But then Katara's inner healer springs forth and pushes him back into his chair, albeit gently. "What did I say about getting up? You stay here and eat. I'm getting the bandages and then _I'll,_ send the letter."

Zuko sighs and almost starts up an argument. But then he remembers he has an audience with a bunch of headstrong sages later, and decides he might as well rest up.

* * *

They're waiting for him. He passes by the old war chamber and he tries his best not to shudder. He's glad the sages chose to use another room.

He'd spent the morning deliberating word choice over a bowl of soup, and busying his mind as Katara bound his chest in gauze by attempting to recall long-forgotten history lessons. Then he'd spent a while debating what to wear, whether the armor would seem too hostile or that robe too casual or that hairpiece too pretentious.

Now he's in front of the a pair of finely crafted wooden doors, cloaked in somewhat formal robes, red and black with only a touch of gold lining, hair combed but not bound in a topknot, hands sweaty and praying to the spirits he doesn't limp too badly and that old lessons on diplomacy would suddenly reveal themselves.

Zuko blows out one more breath of anxiousness, smooths over his mantle, and knocks. The interior quiets down and Zuko waits a moment before guiding the doors open.

"Good evening, esteemed sages." He holds out his hands and makes the traditional bow, first. The five of them stand, and return it.

One of them holds his hand out to a chair. "Have a seat, Prince Zuko."

Everything seemed to be going well, they had exchanged bows and they even chose to call him 'Prince'. Whether that meant they saw him as being restored into the royal family, he wasn't sure, but at least they were being civil.

The table is rectangular but not very long. The head sage sits at one end, Zuko sits at the other, and two sages sit on the right and left of him.

They are silent for a while, and Zuko contemplates whether he should speak but decides against it; he is the defending party here and speaking first would mean that he didn't acknowledge that. But perhaps speaking first would be a show of strength and control, and that's something he needs. Before he can wonder any longer, they speak.

"I see no reason to beat around the bush. As Fire Sages, it is our duty to uphold the culture and tradition of the nation. And according to those laws, we see Azula as having claim to the throne."

Zuko lays his hands over each other. He'd thought they would have spent a good chunk of time with harmless, formal banter before they dove into the thick of things.

"That claim being that she has the favor and approval of the previous Firelord?" To succeed, he needed to prove her claims null and somehow divert the succession to himself.

"And also that she is the only veritable heir. The status you and General Iroh are currently holding, renounce your place in the succession."

Well, that makes things a lot more difficult. Unless he can refute his status of 'traitor', this entire discussion would be in vain. He had to try however. The battle might have ended but they hadn't won the war just yet.

"So please, _Prince_ Zuko. Convince us."

* * *

Katara sits on the steps leading to the Agni Kai field and she feels anything but calm.

She'd sent the hawks out hours ago, Zuko was still at his meeting and she'd had enough of walking through the crimson halls of the palace. They were dark and eerie and when she'd come across the monolith tapestries of Firelords long past, she kept feeling eyes on her back. She wondered when the last time a waterbender had walked those halls.

What more, Appa had flown away. When she saw him lumber his way into the sky she had run to him, called for him to come back desperately. When he'd flown out of earshot, she'd been crushed by an overwhelming fear that came with realizing they were essential trapped in this place. If Zuko hit the wrong nerve during his talks, they'd have nowhere to run.

But then she mulled over the _whys_ and the _whos_ and her mind came onto one hopeful thought: _bison whistle, bison whistle, bison whistle._ And by correlation, Aang.

However, there, on the porch of the arena, she couldn't hope to feel at ease.

Azula was still there, bound and unconscious, where they'd left her. Katara's hatred for her should have burned as brightly as the lightning she shot from her fingers; she had after all, shot that lightning at two people she cared deeply about.

But Katara couldn't. Her hatred _was_ like lightning in a way; it burned bright and sudden sometimes, but them she remembered the image of Azula, straining, weeping, and the anger dissipated as quickly as it came. It was another reminder that the world wasn't black and white. Azula was a very dark gray, in her world, though.

However, she wouldn't wish for anyone to die from dehydration and exhaustion. She knew she'd have to figure something out with Zuko as soon as possible and the thought made her anxious. Dealing with Azula would make anyone anxious.

How would they do it? Knock her out? Trap her in a block of ice again? And she doubted Azula would restrain herself from roaring out a column of flames in their faces.

She chewed over her musings until the white splotch in the sky was too large to ignore. In the flurry of joy that followed, Katara leapt from her perch, slammed her feet into the charred arena floor, cheered up to the descending sky bison and unknowingly wept happy tears. Luckily, Azula was too drained to notice.

And they made quite a ruckus, but in their eyes it was completely entailed.

Aang got to her first, either because of added enthusiasm or airbending prowess. They called out to each other, and like a scene from a play, they embraced and twirled and fell to their knees with wind gently caressing them.

Then Katara looked up from her embrace and, though her eyes still swimming with tears, she could see them; Sokka, in crutches, with Toph holding him steady.

"You're alive. We're all okay." She manages to stutter, as they all kneel down and envelope each other in an embrace.

"I was so worried, Katara." Aang says. He grips her hand tight, even after they'd all settled down and released each other from their hold.

"I can't believe we did it." Sokka says wistfully, still caught in the mutual ecstasy of their reunion.

"I can believe it. I've known it all along!" Toph retorts, but Katara remembers the lines of fear and worry she had when they had set off however long ago, and she thinks Toph's a bit more relieved than she implies.

"I'm so sorry I made you guys worry. I didn't even think about sending a letter, Zuko thought about it this morning and I just… I'm so happy you guys are here. Tell me everything that happened."

"I'm so glad we're all okay. But before we get to anything else: where is Zuko?" Aang questions. The stupor they had been held in was starting to wear off, making way for worrisome yet surreal reality, but Katara doesn't mind. With all of them back together, she felt like they could face anything.

Toph also shifts a bit. "And who's over there?" She points over to the side. "Is that… is that Azula?"

Katara glances over but not for too long. She doesn't need to be burdened by those thoughts again.

"It is. We'll take care of it later. But come on - Zuko will be so relieved."

* * *

He couldn't help but feel that this debate was pointless. They hadn't gotten anywhere and he had no faith that the sages would be swayed anytime soon.

"According to the rules of Agni Kai, set down by Firelord Sozin, attempting to injure anyone other than your opponent is forbidden." Zuko tries to keep his frustration in check but that's never been his strong suit.

He hoped he had gotten his facts right. Sozin established the Agni Kai guidelines, right? But it's been part of the Fire Nation for longer... didn't Sozin's grandfather fight one? Wait, didn't Ozai revamp those rules? Spirits, he needed to do a little homework after this.

Despite Zuko assuring himself that he had made a fatal mistake, the sages contemplate this. "True. But Ozai has altered the wording of this rule, specifically; it is forbidden to injure a bystander. His Highness decided that an 'attempt' to injure, was too broad. And since the blow did not harm anyone other you, her opponent, it can be seen as legal."

Once again, Ozai was the source of his problems.

"But you have to agree that this circumstance was debatable. She did, later engage the bystander, didn't she? And without the battle being called to an official end, who the valid winner is, is murky."

 _Murky_ , that was the best he could do right now. Assure them that Azula's victory is questionable.

"He raises a fair point." A sage to his left says. Zuko's noticed that he'd been favoring him throughout the meeting. He also notices he hasn't caught any of their names yet. He should, if he's planning on working with them later, but right now anything concerning the future is _murky_.

The head sage scowls. Zuko gets the vibe he doesn't like him that much. "Perhaps. But even if we acknowledge that Azula forfeited the battle by engaging the waterbender, it doesn't help your case."

"How so?" He grits out.

"Simply put, Azula didn't win the Agni Kai, but as you did not defeat her, neither did you." The sage practically spits words at him. The man clearly disliked him but he didn't even have the decency to be subtle about it.

Zuko has to check himself before he makes anything spontaneously combust. He relives yesterday night, when he'd practically cussed out the sages. The memory makes him a little more humble.

"But then you'd agree that she forfeited. Therefore, I would be considered the victor."

"You fail to remember that Azula also dispatched you with that blow, in which case she would have won and we wouldn't need this discussion. But, as we have decided, I will concede to ignore this."

And once again, Zuko couldn't help but feel that this debate was pointless.

Screw diplomacy, he could light this room on fire and have them begging him to take the crown. Zuko leans back in his chair, closes his eyes and pinches his nose in an open display of frustration. If that headstrong old geezer wasn't going to be subtle about his hostility, why should Zuko have to be?

After so much adversity, from banishment to betrayal to near-death experiences, the war came to a stuttering halt here: a dusty, old war chamber filled with people too stubborn to be able to come to any agreement.

The old gasbag scoffs at him, but Zuko doesn't mind. He'd learned that he had no luck anywhere near a boardroom; peaceful exchange and patient deliberation never got him anywhere. Zuko couldn't do any good this way, but there were other options.

There's a knock at the door, but the tension's too thick for any of them to pay any notice.

"You know, _Prince_ Zuko." He says it mockingly, and it only adds fuel to the fire that's bound to be set free. The torches flare, there's another knock on the door and there's mumbling on the other side. Not that Zuko, or anyone else, noticed.

"Maybe we should bring _Firelord_ Azula into this discussion as well. I mean, she is a key player in this subject, isn't she?"

The slightly less hostile sage to Zuko's left rebukes him, but neither of them really pay any heed. "Sir, it is not best to provoke the other party."

"I speak only the truth. All the decisions we have agreed upon up to now should be made void. There should be a voices from both sides of this argument, don't you agree? You call yourself a man of justice, don't you, _Prince_ Zuko?"

He straightens his chair, and rises slowly, devastatingly, like a tidal wave reaching shore. The wall sconces glow softly, threateningly, with dancing azure flames. The feat of bending makes his stomach churn and blood run cold, but he flares the flames as much as he dares. The head sage doesn't look surprised by this turn of events and if nothing else, Zuko has to admit the man is no coward.

The door opens and bright light spills into the chamber. Zuko growls and whips his head back; way to kill his vibe.

"Zuko!?" The monk's voice starts with an excited chirp, but lilts off in confusion at the end. Such a change of emotion in a two syllable word.

Zuko loosens his hold on the torches. The pressing gazes of the sages behind him mean nothing because silhouetted in the doorway are three figures he'd prayed he'd be able to see again.

"Oh…um, we'll come back later…" Aang bashfully closes the door and Toph gives him an enthusiastic wave, oblivious to what she had walked into. When the last of the light is sucked back into the hallway, Zuko dazedly waves back.

They were alive. Thank Agni, thank Tui, thank La, and thank any other spirit responsible for this. Zuko knew too well the cost of war, and he had prepared himself futilely to face the seemingly inevitable. But some higher being had spared him from the pain, and to them Zuko throws up silent praises.

He looks back at the sages and for a second all he can think is 'why aren't you happy? You should be happy!' Then reality slaps the idiotic smile off his face, but he finds that the anger is gone, and the only thing he has to fight is the urge to jump up and down in an uncustomary frenzy of joy.

He clears his throat, awkwardly, and tries to make his voice as solemn as he can. "Perhaps we should continue this tomorrow? I think we're all a little… disquieted right now."

The nice sage leaps up first. "I think that's a wonderful idea. A good rest will put everyone back in the right state of mind."

He picks up his robes and begins to leave. The head sage looks peeved but has no choice but to follow, lest people might think the great Fire Sages are less stately than they appear.

Zuko makes little note of this, as he realizes what his friends being here implies; they've won. Or almost. And right now he has to hold back from rushing out of the doorway.

Once the last sage shuffles out of the doorway, all formality is thrown out of the window as Zuko rushes through the palace like a madman, following the echo of joyful, familiar voices. He finds them, together, laughing and he'd never have thought the sight would make him so happy.

They all ground to a halt, they with grins growing on their faces, Zuko panting, the bandages at his chest somewhat constricting and robes in utter disarray. Seeing them there, alive, in front of him, emotions swim through even stronger than before, because now he knows it's real, beautifully, miraculously, _real._

This one time, it's Zuko who gathers them in for the hug, and the rest of them have never let him live it down since. Once again, they are a bundle of arms and happy tears and incredulous laughs, rolling on the ground.

Zuko decides if nothing else, he's done one thing right.

* * *

They probably would have sat there, steeped in the joy of each other's company, for much longer, but Zuko starts writhing. They all throw themselves backwards, like he had the plague.

Aang's instantly panicky; asking what was happening, did he do something wrong, what should he do, was Zuko okay, spirits, did he hurt him?

Zuko doesn't answer, only clutches the scar under his robes and tries to collapse into himself.

At that point, Katara's cleared through the initial surprise and starts barking out orders. Aang, get her some water; Sokka, pillows, bandages, stat; Toph, hold him back.

Katara rolls his shirt off and rips through the bandages, and Zuko is quiet throughout it but his violent twitches speak of the pain he won't vocalize.

Aang and Sokka haven't returned yet, so Katara makes do with the liquid in her water pouch, but it looks too thinly spread across the jagged scar at his chest. Despite the fact, his pain is visibly lessened and he stops resisting Toph, who had been holding him back from tearing at the scar in anguish.

They stay like that, Katara with her hands coated in blue, trying to loosen the sickly mass of tissue at her fingertips with too little water but unable to do more than grant that initial relief, and Toph slowly releasing Zuko's arms while allowing him to use her lap as a headrest.

Katara concentrates, tries to plunge into the deeper chi lines futilely, and decidedly attempts to heal what she can for now. Sokka returns first with the supplies under one arm and Katara feels a little guilty for ordering him around when his leg was still broken but she barely glances upwards from her work.

She hears his intake of breath when he first sights the angry red mark. Aang joins them, a pail of water in tow, and his surprise is much more vocal than Sokka's, manifesting in a quick yelp followed by a swift patting of feet as he came to a crouch by her side.

With the additional water, Katara's healing increases ten-fold as she gives all the effort she can. She lets the power permeate deeper, smoothing the clot of chi like the tangles in Appa's fur and melting the snarls of choleric muscles like ice.

She feels slight shocks run up her arms, as she soaks up the remnants of Azula's attack.

She allows herself a glance upwards and sees that Zuko is bleary-eyed and dazed but isn't cringing in agony anymore.

The others are crouched at his side. Toph, having replaced her lap with Sokka's pillows for Zuko's head to rest on, looks at a point besides Katara, and rocks on the ball of her heels, nervously. Twirling the gauze in his hands, Sokka looks wary but determined to spring up and help should Katara ask for it. Aang's a bit jumpy, grazing his eyes over the area and she catches him glancing at the scar underneath his own robes and look back at Zuko's, likely connecting the dots. He catches Katara's own eyes on him and his look is one of a person holding back a thousand questions.

She asks for the bandages, and they end the impromptu healing session by laying Zuko back down on his cushions. She wrapped the bindings less tightly, as it seems that the last application had restricted his breathing.

Zuko breathes deeply but comfortably and she almost thinks he's asleep but he opens his eyes halfway, like anymore would be too tiring. Katara breaks the silence.

"You are a complete idiot." It isn't indignant, or mocking. She says it like it is an undisputable fact, but it's said coolly enough that the nervousness in the air shatters.

It even outs more when a small smile finds its way on Zuko's face. "I know. Sorry."

Katara snorts. The others relax at the sound of Zuko's quiet, but stable, voice.

"If none of you mind," Toph starts flatly, "can someone please tell me why Sparky over there just started _dying_!?" Her voice ends as coarse and insulting but Katara realizes it didn't just root back from a want to be sarcastic, but also a hint of hysteria.

She scans her friends' faces and she remembers that they hadn't yet talked about what had happened yesterday. Katara always knew Zuko would be alright, that this was just a result of him provoking the injury and he was in no fatal pain, but for them it might have seemed like a life-or-death situation.

"He's fine, guys. He was never in any danger." Katara decides it's best to clear that up first.

"You tell us that now." Sokka's voice is dry. "Then what's with the big scar?"

"What scar?" Toph asks.

Zuko brings his hand to the bandages at his chest, almost self-consciously.

"Lightning?" Zuko nods to Aang's question.

Katara meets his eyes, mournful, then a question; _are you going to tell them?_ Then, Zuko widens an eye.

"Azula."

"Azula?"

" _Azula._ Is she still out there?"

Well, they had to deal with her eventually. "Yeah. She is."

"We need to move her. She hasn't eaten or anything for at least a day and we can't leave her there. She'll get sick."

For a moment, it sounds like Zuko's just an anxious older brother watching over his sister.

"I- I can't send her anywhere else yet. I guess we can take her to the prison for now."

Sokka says cynically, "Where else would we put Princess Crazy. Other than a mental ward."

The joke isn't taken lightly. "You didn't see her yesterday, Sokka. Come on."

Katara recognizes what the rise in Zuko's shoulders mean.

"Oh no, you are staying right here." The self-destructive oaf made like he was about to say something.

"Did I mention how stupid it was for you to _run_ here?" He gave a soft murmur. She scoffs. "How do you just _forget,_ about a wound like that? And I told you not to firebend with your chi still all messed up!"

"I didn't fireben…" Oh. Wait. He did.

"Sure you didn't."

"You should listen to Katara, Zuko." Aang starts. "She's usually right and I don't think it's good to do much while you're healing. I mean, I slept for weeks when I got hit by lightning."

"Don't remind me."

"It's not the same thing. And how come Sokka's helping when he's got a broken leg?"

"I for one, am the brains of this operation. And unless you have any to offer, you and your creepy spasms can stay right there."

"Yeah, no one drags Snoozles around for the muscle."

"Excuse you, but remember when _these_ muscles kept you from falling of an airship? Cuz I certainly do."

"Remember when _these_ muscles earthbent you into a stone coffin? Oh, wait, maybe I'm looking at the future!"

After a minor scuffle, the four manage to hobble away, not giving heed to Zuko's complaints.

"I never said I wanted to help anyway…" He grumbles to no one in particular.

He contemplates getting up and doing something productive. The shifting made chills run up body, stiffening and aching his joints and the thought is struck down.

Feeling like a lame old man, Zuko taps his fingers idly on the table. It wore a thin coat of dust. He was going to need to rehire the servants once he was Firelord.

And he would be Firelord, he refused to doubt it.

He'd need to free Mai and Ty Lee once this was over. Also the other prisoners of war.

Before that, he'd need to call back the army. He'd need to send messages to the ground troops, the navy, he'd need to pull back the forces at Ba Sing Se. And Omashu. And a dozen other colonies. Then he'd need to send couriers to inform the public.

He groans just imagining how much effort it would take. He should probably write this down.

First though, he'd send search parties for his mother. Azula, he'd find her someplace that could help her.

His senses must have been dulled; he hadn't heard the man's footsteps as he stepped into the room. Red robed and aged, the sage didn't seem to expect him there.

"Sage- uh sage…" He made to stand up but the flare in his chest condemned him.

"Sage Ruhon, my prince. I heard some bumping around the area and decided to investigate."

"Oh, well, the Avatar and his friend were having a bit of a… disagreement."

"Where have they gone, anyway, may I ask?"

"They've gone to… deal with Azula. She needs somewhere safe to stay."

"The jailhouse, I presume."

He nods unwittingly. "I'll find a more proper place, once everything is cleared up."

"Yes, and hopefully that is soon. I expect that tomorrow will not be a repeat of today's episode?"

His voice reminded him of his old tutors, which irked him, but as they were then, he was right.

"I assure you, sage Ruhon. I acted immaturely, under the hand of emotions."

"I think we all did."

"Yes, the other one…" Zuko contemplated whether it was inappropriate to be mentioning someone behind their back, "…was a little crude…"

"The years under Ozai's rule has made us… disillusioned. Kan especially, that is why he was made high sage."

"I should have expected that." He suspected that his father had never been much of a religious man.

"Do not lose heart. I trust that we will forge the path greatest for the nation. The others will see it; at the core, we are men of faith."

"I only hope quickly. The world's waiting for us to make or break this peace, and I don't know when either side will decide to make a move." The pause in the air spoke of him agreement.

"Rest, Prince Zuko. I should run up to the jailhouse; I doubt the guards would take custody of their Princess quietly. Especially when it's the Avatar who's handing her over."

He paled. "Oh…"

"Don't worry too much. The guards won't do anything rash, and I think my orders will be enough to assuage their confusion. But next time, I recommend you and your companions keep your heads down."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: This was originally a oneshot, but I decided to split it so it's a little easier to read.**

 **Have fun.**

* * *

"Just because you're bringing back _Wang Fire,_ does _not_ mean I have to act like your wife again."

She took a few steps away from her brother, who had just beset her with an interrogatory of _my, how fine the weather is today, dear Sapphire_ and _isn't our little boy looking simply dashing_ and _what do you think of my beard today, sweetheart?_

"In fact, if anyone asks, we are not related."

"But what if someone from the school is here!" He crouched into a whisper. The husky beard and the obstructive crutch didn't suit the secretive stance. "If we're recognized, we'd jeopardize the mission."

"Not many people to recognize us, anyway." Toph added, still miffed from being nagged into taking a bath that morning.

Aang takes a break from happily pointing at buildings to realize the truth in her words. "Yeah… the city's so empty. Reminds me of the invasion…"

"Yeah, well, everyone probably saw, you know, their palace _going up in flames._ " Sokka waved his free arm around, attempting to emphasize _flames._ "And maybe they heard about how their Loserlord got beaten up. I wouldn't want to go out much after knowing that."

"But shouldn't they be happy? From what we've seen, Ozai's not really a great ruler."

"Maybe not, but he was feared. Besides, they might still expect the Earth Kingdom to be crashing through their doors pretty soon."

Katara raised an eyebrow. For all his quirks, Sokka could spin to new perspectives pretty easily.

"Well, if we don't find anyone soon, we might _really_ have to go crashing through doors."

"Right! The _mission:_ find the banished palace elves and tell them they're rehired."

"I'm pretty sure Sparky just told us that to get us out of the palace."

"What makes you think that?" Aang asks glumly. He had waved at a lone passerby who just ducked his head and briskly entered a building. There was a clink of the door being locked.

"He could just find some new servants later. There's really no reason to find them now. I think he just didn't want a repeat of Snoozles being a walking disaster yesterday. I mean, he actual went out of his meeting and told you to keep it down."

"I'm pretty sure you were the reason for all that, _Toph_!"

"So yeah, he wants us from messing him up."

"He's gonna mess himself up if he doesn't get some sleep soon." Katara had a sneaking suspicion that he spent the night rolling through old scrolls and practicing speeches. She always found him mumbling things like _edict_ and _by way of Proclamation 322 sanctioned by Firelord Sozin,_ while curled up in a heap of parchment as he slept.

"There's a lot of pacing going on in his room at night." Toph affirmed. Zuko was in for some serious nagging later.

Aang pointed upwards. "Hey, what's that?"

"What's what?"

The sun glared. "Are- are those birds?"

"It's like, a thousand Hawkys, guys!"

"Why are there so many?" There was a roar as they flew overhead, like the sound of a thousand boots stomping repeatedly. "Do you think they escaped? Should I fly up there and stop them!"

They watched the birds edge farther away, distracted by the sheer number, the sight of so much movement.

"Guys?"

"No, no. It'll blow your cover. And I think I saw messages on their backs anyway." Sokka turned back to the direction they had come from. "But just… why so many?"

Toph was unmoved. "Soooo, let's go ask Sparky. I want another shot at the royal hot tub. It's the only body of water I enjoy sinking in."

"But we haven't found any of the servants yet." Aang argued, waving up at the few hawks that lagged behind.

"It was a waste of time, anyway."

"I'm with, Toph." Sokka raised a hand. "And, I'm hungry."

Katara was up for going home, but Aang still seemed uneasy about going back empty-handed. And what would they tell Zuko; _hey, we decided to not look for anyone cuz we thought you just sent us on a wild turkey-goose chase to get rid of us._ It didn't shine a good light on any of them.

"I say we look a bit more. Just think; we could get some actual chefs in the kitchen. And if we find the spa workers, then we can all get the royal treatment."

" _That_ sounds appealing. I can finally get something done about this _hair._ So dry, so _lifeless._ Oh, wait, food, I'm excited about food."

Toph huffed. "Fine. But we're doing this quick."

The next hour, Toph leads them on, more or less, a raid of the city. Punch at the door until it opens, ask some questions, punctuated at intervals by Toph shouting at desolate, echoing, crossroads: _anyone that was banished by Princess Batshit-Crazy can come back to the palace now!_ They found most of their quarry at hotels and inns, but few seemed noticeably happy about going back.

"There's been a change in management." Sokka would announce. Most just looked more noticeably afraid. They would usually answer in quiet tones something along the lines of _thanks for letting me know, now go away_ before shutting the door and closing the curtains. A few though, happily shook their hands and said they'd be right over.

None of them were chefs or spa attendants, though, so the team went back a bit glum.

"Well, at least there's a little more life in the palace." Katara spun optimistically, as they passed a few people milling around in the palace hallway. "I wonder if anyone could help with dinner."

"I'm sure there is. I'll help too if you want."

"Thanks, Aang." She gives a glance at behind her. "How about you two?"

Sokka puts a hand to his chest in a _how could you say that,_ gesture. "I am handicapped, dear sister. And didn't you ban me from cooking after _last_ time?"

"And I'm blind."

Katara just rolls her eyes.

"Heads up; I spy Sparky coming down the hall. He's holding something… moving."

They turn their heads at the direction Toph points but are only met by a flash of red robes. They tail Zuko outside, where they see the palace's gold embellishments glow in the sunset. The golden crest on the tube he holds, glints.

"Hey Zuko! What's with the hawk?" Aang strides up to say hi to the russet bird, who pays little attention to the monk.

"Sending a message. Here - hold him so I can get this damned scroll on." Zuko dumped the bird in Aang's arms, who squawked as it fell from grace. Zuko quietly hisses a curse when the harness tangles.

"Wow, someone's edgy." Sokka prods, as he leans on the railing.

Katara chides him.

"What? I'm not lying, am I?" He defends.

The crimson tube clips onto the bird's harness and Zuko breathes out a mix between a sigh and a groan. "I'm sorry. It's just that I've had to deal with _way_ too many of these birds today."

"Does this have to do with all the hawks we saw this morning?" Aang asks, calmly stroking the messenger hawk's head.

"Yeah, what was that? These guys kept on staring." Toph adds.

"Something I hope I never have to do again." He rubs his hands over weary eyes. There are wispy feathers weaved into his hair. "I've had the messages written for days, I was just waiting until I had the stamp to send them; but the birds were just so… _uncooperative_."

"Are you telling me you harnessed up all those birds today?" Toph raises her brows.

"Why didn't you ask us to help?" Katara asked.

"Uh…well I already sent you out to do… that… thing." He waves a hand dismissingly.

"I told you he just wanted to get rid of us."

"I wasn't… I - I just thought you wanted something to do." He takes the bird off Aang. "I wish I hadn't though, I really needed the help today. Ba Sing Se, to uncle - I mean General Iroh." Zuko threw the hawk into the air and watched as it ascended. "And that's the last of them."

"What we're those letters even for?" Sokka asked.

"They were for the army officials. 'Stand down. Do not engage. Await further orders.' It's enough to make them stop for a while."

"But that last one was to Iroh, wasn't it?"

Zuko smiles a bit, the sheer thought of his uncle seemingly enough to lift his mood. "On the brighter side, uncle and I aren't considered traitors anymore. But we're at a standstill since the law ends up being that uncle's entitled to the crown."

"And?"

"And I just need him to send back a statement saying he's handed the position over to me. Then… I'm Firelord."

Maybe it was because of the day they spent, together, wandering, so reminiscent of past times; but Katara felt ridiculously happy. The feeling carried, even after Toph punched him on the arm.

"Ow! What was that for!" He says it indignantly, but the edges of his mouth betrayed him.

"It took you long enough!" Toph's voice doesn't expose any other emotion other than annoyance, but they'd known each other long enough to realize she meant no venom.

"Yeah," he rubs his arm thoughtlessly, " _Way_ too long."

From the way he says it, they could tell he wasn't just reflecting on the last few days.

"Hey! I guess that means I can call you _Firelord_ Hotman now!"

Zuko clouted the back of Aang's head. "I become supreme sovereign of a country and _that's_ what you think about."

They laugh it off and Sokka goes off on a spiel of what he would do if _he_ became supreme ruler of a country and they are all a little more assured that they would never want to go anywhere Sokka was in charge of, as if they needed more convincing. She wonders if anyone else notices Zuko's hands shaking.

* * *

Of the five days it had taken him to become Firelord, Zuko sleeps only two of the nights.

You couldn't blame him, even when he tried, the fear kept him up.

The night after the disaster of a negotiation he had pillaged the palace library for anything that could help his case. He'd found plenty, but nothing that still held any meaning after the convoluted reign of his recent ancestors.

They get little done the second day as well, but Zuko believes they moved miles on a different levels. It was a day of discreet repentance. No one outright apologized to each other but there were a lot of downward glances and a few _uh, respectable figures should never resort to violence, that would be immature,_ and _riling up the other party is, ahem, a low and backwards strategy, we have discovered._

By the end of it, he and High Sage Kan could look each other eye to eye. He closes the discussion by inviting them to dine together and with a piece of shrewd advice he had come across.

"Our first duty is not to the crown, but to the nation and its people."

They renounce his betrayal the next day. They base it by declaring Ozai an unjustifiable usurper that had been allowed on the throne due to deceit and coercion. Sage Ruhon later tells him that there had never been any doubt Azulon's will had been tampered. "That lie has been carried six years too long." He says with a shameful shake of his head.

He signs Azula into an institution that night, when the others think he's asleep.

And that night, as he pressed his insignia into the scroll, he's hit by reality. He was a 16 year old kid, about to be handed an entire country to lead. And not just any country; this was a country defiled for 100 years, on the losing side of a war, steeped in economic and moral atrocities. He had no idea how to handle that. He was already missing sleep with the workload right now.

An entire nation would collapse into itself, and he'd be the one to blame.

Every hawk on the horizon makes his heart leap, terrified that it was uncle, proudly exclaiming him as Firelord of the nation, _the great and honorable._ His mental image of himself did not connote these words.

The first letters aren't from uncle, but they panic him anyway.

 _The 12th division will never take orders from a traitor. Stand down and release honorable Firelord Azula and the glorious Phoenix King Ozai!_

Says one. Another writes,

 _Do not try to fool us, traitor! We know of the battle at the capitol! Release Princess Azula and the Fire Sages, treacherous swine!_

A few are a little confused.

 _Aid needed at Ba Sing Se. Troops have been pushed out of city by a team of aged men? Wearing blue and white, seemingly from all nations. There have been accounts of General Iroh himself at the battle. Divisions have been scattered. Urgently awaiting orders._

He has a stack of letters cursing his name and if that's any indication of how the nation would react to his rule, Zuko might as well give up now. For spirits sake, he hadn't even signed his name on the letters to make sure this didn't happen.

The hawk perches on the railing besides him early the next morning. It almost feels unreal, and he had slightly hoped it was, with the gentle candlelight and ringing silence, as he unrolls the papers from the holder. There are two of them. One is of the richest parchment, veiled with formal terms and appraising lines, stamped and sealed by a hand he would never had recognized as his uncle's, if not for the name signed on the bottom.

The other is meant for his eyes, personally. And uncle knows just what to say.

Alone, it's not enough to break away the dread but his friends are. They'll never know of his troubles, and they'd never know how much they had helped him pull through.

And before he knows it, Zuko's shaking hands with High Sage Kan and setting the date for his coronation.

They get down to business.

"We're inviting dad, right? And the others? Wait, they're still in jail! I need to write that out first!" Sokka scraps the previous scroll over his shoulder and spreads out a new one.

"Stop wasting paper!" Katara chides.

"Yeah, it's expensive," Zuko didn't really care though. There was enough gold in the treasury to spin a dozen closets worth of robes out of it. "And send one to the Boiling Rock, while you're at it. For Mai and Ty Lee."

"Oh yeah, Azula's creepy friends. I guess I'll squeeze them in."

"They saved our lives, Sokka!"

Aang burst into the room happily, two hawks perched on his arms. "They're sent! Have any more yet."

Katara tosses him a scroll. "To Iroh in Ba Sing Se. Where's Toph?"

Aang sets one of the birds on the table, as he works on the other. "Well, I felt some stomping outside and then a bunch of people ran inside the palace so I think she's doing pretty well. Don't know exactly where she is though."

Sokka drapes a letter in front of Zuko, proudly. "Here. Sign it."

"I'm a bit busy here."

"How long does it take to sign something?"

Aang set the bird to rest on the chair, which cooed a very unhawkly sound. "What're you working on now?"

"A speech."

"A speech? Wait, do I have to write one?!"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "No, you just have to stand there and look pretty."

"I hope you're not being sarcastic."

"Siiiign it! My arm's getting tired." Sokka waved his scroll around.

"Your penmanship is _horrible._ I'm not signing that."

"What's it matter as long as they can read it?"

"No one'll take it seriously."

" _Oh, come on_."

"Rewrite it. And fix the grammar."

Sokka huffed. "Fine, Firelord Perfectionist."

"Here, I'll help." Katara offered.

"And I'm going to send this little bird off." The birds followed him out the door, as if Aang were some sort of fairytale princess. He worked unsurprisingly well with animals.

Zuko cringed when the door slammed shut. Aang poked his head back in. "Sorry…"

Zuko just hummed in acknowledgment.

"Are you feeling okay, Zuko?" Huh. He guess he'd made it a bit more obvious than he thought, what with the endless pacing and staring into nothingness. "Are the bandages wrapped too tightly again?"

He waited a bit before shaking his head. "Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He didn't have to look at Katara's face to know that was the wrong answer. He added quickly, "It's just…" I don't think I can handle being Firelord, my people hate, the other nations hate me, I don't know what to do, what if I start another war, what if I end up like Ozai, _help me,_ "…I don't know what to write for my speech."

She's quiet, likely weighing whether to accept his word or not. "…I don't know much about speeches."

"How about that time you got those earthbending prisoners to escape?" Sokka rebutted.

"They didn't even do anything after my speech, remember. And I was just talking off the top of my head."

"I don't think that'd work well in my case."

"Right!" Sokka tapped his writing brush on his chin, "Speeches, speeches…What do we know about speeches? Oh! Remember what dad said before the invasion?"

"Not really, actually. I remember you messed up yours and dad had to stand up for you. You started talking about how we met Aang, right?"

"Okay, I'm not the best at speeches either. But I remember that dad just seemed really in-control. Knew what he was doing. I guess you gotta make people trust you."

That made him reel his brush back even more. "It's going to take more than one speech to get people to trust me." He barely trusted himself to do the right thing.

Then a tremor and a crash rolled through the room. They all stood in unison. The boys fell back into their seats in unison, Zuko curling into himself, Sokka verbally cursing as he clutched his bad leg.

"Idiots." Katara momentarily forgots about the sound.

Light spills into the scene as Aang enters the room, birdless. "I found Toph." He says sheepishly, then confused. "What happened here?"

The boys continue with their pained breathing. "Okay, I'm good, I'm good."

" _Speak for yourself_." Zuko hissed.

"Don't touch it, straighten out. You're agitating it more." He listens to Katara, as one always should, and surely the pain subsides into a manageable sting.

"What's up, losers. I convinced all the staff to hurry back here." Toph spreads herself on one of the gold laced couches, kicking dust up onto the cushions. "And by convinced I mean beat into submission. What're you up to." She asked a question but didn't seem particularly interested in the answer.

"What was with the crash?" Katara asked.

"Some of them weren't very cooperative. Toph kinda…gave them a show of strength." Aang explains. "Made Ko fly off, though."

"Ko?"

"He's a hawk. I don't know where he went."

Toph added innocently, "I didn't see 'em."

Zuko gives a roll of his eyes, one of many he gave that day. "He'll fly back to the message center eventually."

"Oh, good. I was worried he'd fly away." Aang hopped up beside them. "How's letter writing going?"

"Still on the speech."

Aang looks over his shoulder. "You don't have anything down yet."

" _I know_."

"Well… just say the truth. Talk about how you want to help the world."

"Ooh, maybe you can add some anecdotes in there? Like when we first met you and I hit you with my boomerang!"

"Or when you burned my feet and had to piggy-back me until they healed."

"I still remember when you showed up at the air temple and all you said was 'hello, Zuko here'. If I hadn't hated you so much back then I would have laughed _so_ hard."

"Are you just going to keep making fun of me?" Zuko reddened, but he did agree that he hadn't exactly present himself that well, back then.

"You gave us a speech back then, too! Oh, no wonder you said making a speech off the top of your head wouldn't work."

Zuko wasn't about to tell them how he'd actually practiced that speech in front of a badger-frog more than a couple of times.

The group starts to walk down memory lane, sharing old stories, like the day he'd plowed through the Southern Water Tribe, to little known tales he'd never heard about. And slowly, words start to form on his page.

"Did you know I was a master of haiku?"

"You told me you got thrown out."

"And that _play._ You better shut them down once you have the chance, right Zuko?"

"Hmm…"

"Hey, I think they made me look pretty good."

The arguments followed. Zuko detached himself from the bickering and watches them. In a few hours he would be Firelord. He had to be.

And he had no need to worry; they'd fought too hard to get to this point and give up. And now, he wasn't doing this alone.

* * *

"And it's gonna be even more different. We'll rebuild it together." They hug warmly, and the nervousness in Zuko's stomach quenches a little. They walk through the red curtains, side by side.

"Hey," Zuko whispers, "you've got your speech down, right Aang?"

The gongs start tolling, but the question shakes Aang more. " _What_?!" He hisses, trying his best not to look alarmed.

" _Are you kidding me."_

"You said I just had to stand here!" Aang had to say that 'smiling because people are watching but eyes screaming murder' Zuko, was the scariest Zuko. His eyes flash once more before he layers a face of complete ease and determination.

He starts his address with "Please. The real hero is the Avatar."

Katara and Sokka just watch the intense whispering from the crowd. They look at each other, shrug, and join the audience in applause.

"All hail Firelord Zuko!"


End file.
